Inflatable multi-tube structure

ABSTRACT

An inflatable frame using, in each beam of the structure twinned tubes or otherwise multiple adjacent parallel tubes in each beam. The frame may be used for a sport ball arresting structure for supporting a mesh netting to enclose a player using full-swing, full power hitting of a sport ball into the mesh.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an inflatable frame having multiple forexample twinned tubes in each beam supporting the frame. One use for theframe is to support a ball-arresting mesh thereover, generally in theform of netting, for use when practicing, byway of example, ‘full-swing’hitting of a golf ball with driving or chipping clubs within a confinedspace such as a residential back yard.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

When one practices the various driving or chipping strokes in the gameof golf which elevate the golf ball so that it can travel a fairly longdistance, one must generally attend a specialised driving range orsimilar facility. Such facilities may require some travel time, expenseand inconvenience to attend and may not be readily available to allgolfers. Due to the danger from the impact of such a driven ball theavid golfer is prohibited from practicing at home in a residential backyard.

The desire on the part of players of sports such as golf, baseball,hockey or soccer to improve their ability and thereby increase theirenjoyment of their game requires considerable ‘full-swing’ practice. Theinflatable sport ball arresting structure according to the presentinvention permits such practice to be undertaken at home in a carport orgarage or basement or in a residential backyard with convenience andsafety. It is an object to provide such a device which is lightweight,compact for home storage and easily assembled, and further which issimple to erect, readily storable without disassembly, and resistant todisplacement through sport ball impact or wind gust. Further yet, thedevice may inhibit ricochet of the sport ball.

In the prior art, applicant is aware of U.S. Pat. No. 6,511,390 whichissued Jan. 28, 2003 to Kim for a Sports Ball Net Assembly, whichdiscloses a net supporting structure comprising rigid and flexiblepipes.

Applicant is further aware of U.S. Pat. No. 6,135,894 which issued Oct.24, 2000 to Cho for a Collapsible Golf Net, which discloses a flexible,closed loop shaped net support structure which is supported on stakespositioned in the ground. Additional straps are used to deform the netsupport structure into a concave shape and to lend stability.

My U.S. Pat. No. 7,118,487 discloses a sport ball arresting structurehaving an inflatable frame from which a net is suspended and a flexiblebase to provide a lightweight frame and permitting ease of assembly,deployment and storage after use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is an inflatable frame using, in each beam of thestructure, twinned tubes or otherwise multiple adjacent parallel tubesin each beam. The frame may be used for a sport ball arresting structurefor supporting a mesh netting to enclose a player using full-swing, fullpower hitting of a sport ball into the mesh.

In the field of air inflatable structures, the applicant has determined,contrary to conventional wisdom which would require that the pneumaticbeams be increased in diameter as their length increases in order tosupport larger enclosures, and in one aspect of the present invention,that the use of relatively narrow high aspect ratio pneumatic beams maybe used to arcuately span relatively great distances if a multiplicityof such narrow beams are combined in side-by-side parallel array to forma single segmented arcuate beam truss. Further, the rigidity may beincreased by criss-crossing about their vertices a radially spaced arraydefining a dome-frame. The netting is supported on and around the frameso as to completely enclose the interior of the dome.

As used herein the term truss is intended in its alternate meaning fromthe conventional, namely, any of various structural frames constructedon principles other than the geometric rigidity of a triangle orderiving stability from other factors, as the rigidity of joints, theabutment of masonry, or the stiffness of beams (emphasis added). Thusaccording to one embodiment of the present invention each truss has atleast a pair of two relatively narrow beams mounted side-by-side in alength sufficient to arcuately span over the desired enclosure. At leastthree of the arcuate beam trusses are criss-crossed in their radiallyspaced apart array for example so that their ends intersect, so as to bemounted to, the corners of a hexagonal floor.

Although it is understood that the pair of beams in the beam truss maybe used in combination with further longer or shorter inflatable beamsall mounted side-by-side to one another to span even greater distances,in this aspect of the present invention, each beam truss works incombination when mounted to the other two beam trusses to lendsufficient rigidity to the resulting frame so as to form a dome frameover relatively greater distances, i.e. enclosing greater volumes thanheretofore possible in the prior art using single narrow inflatablebeams or other prior art structures. Each beam truss may form asemi-circle, parabola or the like when fixed at its ends to oppositesides of the floor.

In summary, the frame of inflatable beam trusses according to one aspectof the present invention may be characterized as including at leastthree, that is, first, second and third, separate inflatable beamtrusses mounted or mountable to one another and having, respectively,first, second and third lengths and each having at least a pair ofparallel adjacent tubes of substantially constant diameter among all ofthe three beam trusses. Each tube of the three separate beam trusses mayinclude an outer flexible substantially non-resilient sleeve along theentire length of the tube and an inner inflatable bladder extendingsubstantially entirely along and in the entire length of the sleeve.

Each tube is substantially linear when unconstrained and inflated, andis flexible so as to form an arch-shape when opposite ends of the eachtube are constrained by anchoring of the opposite ends on the floor at adistance between the ends which is less the length of each tube and itscorresponding beam truss.

The tubes in each beam truss are of substantially equal length and aremounted adjoined to one another in side-by-side parallel relation by forexample using hook-and-loop fasteners, stitching, etc. so as to beco-extensive with one another along the arch-shape.

The three or more inflatable beam trusses are, once inflated, employedas a frame for mounting a mesh netting canopy thereto or thereover toprovide a mesh enclosed structure such as a golf or other sports“full-swing” enclosure. Such a covered structure may include three ormore inflatable beam trusses for example in a criss-cross i.e.radially-spaced pattern as illustrated by way of example herein to forma dome-style enclosure. The enclosure may have a doorway.

The beam trusses may have various embodiments. For example, they mayinclude more than two individual separate inflatable tubes that span theentire length of the truss.

In one embodiment not intended to be limiting each tube in each trussmay be for example such as described in shape and construction in myU.S. Pat. No. 6,263,617, incorporated herein by reference.Advantageously at least the first and second tubes in each beam trussare substantially dimensionally identical, and have a high aspect ratio,that is, a ratio of length to width which is much greater than one. Forexample, if each separate tube is advantageously uniformly tubular orcylindrical in shape when un-bowed. Each separate tube may have in oneembodiment a circumference of generally twenty inches for example, and alength (which is arched between where the opposite ends of the beamtruss are anchored to the floor) of generally forty feet, where thehexagonal floor may have a diameter measured between opposite corners of23.5 feet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In drawings which illustrate embodiments of the invention whereinsimilar characters of reference denote corresponding parts in each view,

FIG. 1 is, in perspective view, a three tube embodiment of theinflatable beam trusses according to the present invention employed in acriss-cross fashion to form a dome-like frame supporting a mesh nettingenclosure.

FIG. 2 is, in perspective view, a two tube embodiment of the beamtrusses according to the present invention employed in the criss-crossfashion of FIG. 1 to form a dome-like frame supporting a mesh nettingenclosure.

FIG. 3 is, in plan view, the enclosure of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 a is a front elevation view of an alternative embodiment of theinflatable sport ball arresting structure according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 b is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 4 a.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

In the example illustrated, a relatively large inflatable structure issupported by three criss-crossed single-tube inflatable air beams ormulti-tube inflatable beam trusses 10. It is understood that the use ofthree such beam trusses 10 is by way of example only in that structuresemploying greater numbers of the beam trusses according to the presentinvention would also be useful. The frame may for example be used tosupport the mesh netting 6 forming the sports enclosure within whichfull-swing hitting of a sports-ball may be practiced. This may allow thepractice of baseball (ie batting), or golfing, or lacrosse, or hockey,etc. The netting 6 may be of for example a ¾ inch mesh of a type usedfor example in fishing nets.

Thus as may be seen, each beam truss 10 is comprised of a bundle ofseparate inflatable tubes. In the illustrated example of FIG. 2, eachbeam truss 10 includes a pair of long spanning tubes 12 a and 12 bmounted together side-by-side so as to be coextensive between theiropposite first and second ends. These longer spanning tubes 12 a and 12b form an arch extending between their opposite ends when their oppositeends are fixed to a floor or a base sheet 14. The floor is preferablyhexagonal. Thus with the first and second opposite ends of the pair oftubes 12 a and 12 b constrained by being mounted to the outer-mostcorners of base sheet 14, the length of the spanning tubes dictates thatthey form an arch because their length is greater than the diameter ofthe base.

Thus with each beam truss 10 so formed, a plurality of beams trusses 10are mounted in radially spaced array about a vertical axis A extendingthrough their common vertex so that, with the ends of the plurality ofbeam trusses mounted to the corresponding circumferentially spacedlocations around the periphery of the base sheet, a rigid inflatableframe is formed over or under which may be mounted a flexible meshnetting to serve as the sports enclosure.

Advantageously, in one embodiment not intended to be limiting, at leastone air hose is mounted in fluid communication with each inflatable tube12 a and 12 b in each beam truss 10, and between adjacent beam trusses10 for example by the use of a ring-manifold air hose encircling thebase sheet 14 (for example sewn into the circumference) so that theinflation of a first beam truss causes simultaneous inflation of therest of the beam trusses in the frame. The inflatable frame isself-erecting when advantageously the vertices of the beam trusses aremounted to one another and the ends of the beam trusses are mounted tothe base sheet and also secured to the ground prior to inflation. Forexample, each of the beam trusses, may be mounted to one another attheir vertices by the use of straps which may include hook-and-loopfasteners. Of course, the separate tubes in each beam truss may also bestitched or otherwise fastened to one another by known means in whole orin part, that is, with or without the further use of hook-and-loopfastening straps or strips, or may be formed as parallel tubes bystitching parallel seams between a pair of fabric sheets.

In the embodiment of FIG. 2, by way of example, the shortest beam truss10 a may be 37 feet, 9½ inches long, the middle length beam truss 10 bmay be 38 feet, 3½ inches long, and the longest beam truss 10 c may be38 feet, 9½ inches long. As stated above, dimension B of the floor is 23feet, 6 inches. Floor dimension C is 20 feet across. The shape of thehexagonal floor is symmetric and is a regular hexagon. The resultingdome has a height of approximately 14 feet. The mesh netting may beaffixed around the perimeter of the floor using hook and loop fastenerssewn to the respective circumferential edges of the netting and floor.

In FIG. 1 each beam truss is a bundle of substantially the same tubes 12held, in cross section, within the outer casing in a triangulararrangement wherein for example an uppermost tube 12′ sits along andatop an adjacent pair of lower tubes 12″. Although not shown, again thetubes may be held in their positions relative to one another by means ofan outer casing enclosing the length of the tubes to form a multi-tubebeam.

Thus as seen in FIG. 1, each beam truss 102′ is comprised of a bundle ofseparate inflatable tubes 12. In the illustrated example, each beamtruss 102′ includes a pair of tubes 12″ mounted together side-by-side soas to be coextensive between their opposite first and second ends. Atube 12′ is mounted over the pair of tubes 12″ and may be co-extensivein length, or of shorter length centered on the vertex of the span ofthe arch, to add the enhanced support of a multi-tube beam. Tubes 12′and 12″ form an arch extending between their opposite ends when theiropposite ends are fixed to the ground or to a base. Thus with the firstand second opposite ends of the tubes 12′ and 12″ constrained by beingmounted to for example the outer edges of a base sheet, andadvantageously, with the edges of the base sheet secured to the ground,the length of the spanning tubes dictates that they form an arch becausetheir length is greater than the diameter of the base.

In FIGS. 4 a and 4 b the vertices of the two upper inflatable beamsintersect, and the third inflatable beam passes just underneath.

As will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of theforegoing disclosure, many alterations and modifications are possible inthe practice of this invention without departing from the spirit orscope thereof. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to beconstrued in accordance with the substance defined by the followingclaims.

1. A pneumatically inflatable structure: a plurality of spaced apartpneumatic multi-tube support beams, each of said support beams havingfirst and second opposite ends mountable to a base surface wherein eachof said support beams form an arch having an apex when said structure isinflated and erect; wherein each of said multi-tube support beamsincludes a plurality of adjacently mounted parallel inflatable tubesmounted to one another along their length.
 2. The structure of claim 1further comprising at least two opposed pairs of bowed criss-crossedpneumatic multi-tube bracing beams mounted substantially diagonallyacross said support beams, and wherein said arches form a parallelspaced apart array.
 3. The structure of claim 1 wherein said supportbeams are radially spaced apart about a vertical axis.
 4. An inflatablebeam truss frame comprising: at least three, that is, first, second andthird, separate inflatable arcuate beam trusses each comprising at leasta pair of parallel adjacent inflatable tubes, said trusses mounted ormountable at vertices thereof to one another and having, respectively,first, second and third lengths and a substantially constant diameteramong all said tubes of said three beam trusses, wherein each tube ofsaid three separate beam trusses includes an outer flexiblesubstantially non-resilient sleeve along the entire length of said tubeand an inner inflatable bladder extending substantially entirely alongand in said entire length of said sleeve; wherein said each beam trussis substantially linear when unconstrained and inflated, and whereinsaid each beam truss is flexible so as to form an arch-shape whenopposite ends of said each beam truss are constrained by anchoring ofsaid opposite ends on the ground at a distance between said ends whichis less the length of said each beam truss; and wherein said tubes ineach said beam truss are of substantially equal length and are mountedadjoined to one another in side-by-side parallel relation so as to beco-extensive with one another along said arch-shape; and wherein saidbeam trusses are adapted for mounting a completely enclosing meshnetting thereto so as to completely enclose the space within said framein said netting.